I Say, You Say Lift-the-Flap Books

When I was asked if I wanted to review these new board books for "hip parents and babies" I had to say yes, being that I am the very hip sort. Or, maybe it was because I have a one and a half year old (hipper than me) that I thought would enjoy them. Either which way, they looked cute enough to give them a go.

I Say, You Say Animal Sounds! and I Say, You Say Opposites! are both sturdy board books that can handle little hands manipulating the pages to a fair extent. The pages are thick and glossy, reminding me a lot of the Indestructible books actually. (The material is not the same, but it had a similar feel to it.) The pages are stitched together and you can see the thread throughout the book as you turn the pages. This, I think, gives the pages a little more "give" when little fingers are trying to flip pages up, down and sideways. (You still have to be a little gentle when looking a them though. My one and a half year old is a very enthusiastic page turner and did manage to rip a small bit on one of the creases of the flap. Because it's a lift-the-flap book for children just beginning to learn how to play with and enjoy books, I very much appreciate the cost of these books: $6.99 each. (I mention that because children's books are usually so exorbitant in cost that it makes it hard for me to want to pay for a brand new copy . . . although I am willing to pay for a good book more than most people, I think.)

The most notable thing about these books are the illustrations. They are designed by artist Tad Carpenter who wanted to create children's books since the time he was a child himself. With this set he is hoping to place an emphasis on visual literacy. These books picture a variety of animals with large eyes and happy expressions. Interaction with the book can be loud, quiet, enthusiastic or instructive. At this point in the game, I can't say to my daughter, "I say pig and you say . . ." and expect her to answer appropriately. So, currently, we're sticking with, "What does a pig say?" Also, rather surprisingly, I don't have any books which are explicitly about opposites so we've been using I Say, You Say Opposites! to introduce concepts of short vs. tall, etc., and it is helpful to have animals on the page to compare the differences. (She loves the "short" monkey, for example, which is compared to a tall giraffe.)

Here is a happy little (hip! - sorry, can't resist) video describing the books:


More happy news: I have THREE sets of these books to give away to three of you!

How to win?:

Simply leave a comment below. DO add a valid e-mail address IN your comment so that I can contact you if you are the winner. If you do not leave an e-mail address, I will have to select another winner in your place. This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Tuesday, October 9th.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. The three winners, as selected by Random.org, are #21 - Letters, Numbers and Books, #12 - Sethglass and #4 - Bluerose. Congrats!

Thanks to LB Kids books for shooting a copy of these two books my way in exchange for my thoughts, and for offering an additional three copies to three of my readers.